There are many types of birdfeeders that have been available for many years in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,259 to Keeler, issued Dec. 14, 1993 and entitled “Rotating Hummingbird Feeder,” discloses a hummingbird feeder that rotates to position a feeding hole in close proximity to the level of the liquid contained therein. The feeder, basically circular in cross section, is mounted to allow rotation around the axial center of the circular cross section. One face of the feeder has a hole through which the humming birds drink the liquid.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,816 issued to Santa Cruz on Sep. 19, 1995 discloses a hummingbird feeder that includes a flower member having a limited capacity fluid chamber associated with an angled hollow tubular calyx portion which is dimensioned to receive the upper end of a tubular support member.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,221 issued to Eaton et al. on Apr. 18, 2000 discloses a birdfeeder that prevents animals such as squirrels, chipmunks, and rodents from gaining access to feed in the bird feeder. The bird feeder includes a housing that is rotatably attached to a support shaft allowing at least 360 degrees of rotation. The housing includes a plurality of angled plates that cause the housing to spin when the animal contacts one of the plates. A feed tray is rigidly attached to the support shaft and remains upright and stationary within the housing while the housing rotates about the support shaft.
In yet another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,171,921 issued to Lush on Feb. 6, 2007 discloses a squirrel repelling hanger for a bird feeder which utilizes a load cell which senses the weight of a squirrel thereon and which energizes a motor to rotate a repelling disk located at the upper end of the hanger without rotating the bird feeder which is supported from the lower end of the hanger.
The market for hummingbird feeders remains active and there is a need for a more attractive, functionally different hummingbird feeder which would provide a delightful and playful interaction between hummingbird and the feeder. Such a feeder would provide both food for the birds and entertainment for the viewer. Thus, there is a need for an attractive bird propelled rotating hummingbird feeder.